The coldest blast of arctic air has swept across some of United State’s biggest cities. Schools were shut, public transport hit and office-goers delayed across the Midwest and New England because of below-zero temperatures.
Temperatures in parts of northern New England are expected to dip the 20-below-zero range overnight Wednesday and into Thursday morning. By Thursday, the wind chill was expected to possibly plummet to minus 40 degrees, The New York Times reports.
Image: Ice builds up along Lake Michigan at North Avenue Beach as temperatures dipped well below zero in Chicago, Illinois. Photograph: Scott Olson/Getty Images
Image:A woman and the Chicago skyline are reflected in the snow covered, curved surface of the "Cloud Gate" sculpture in Chicago, Illinois. A bitter cold snap is freezing most of the eastern half of the United States, driving the mercury below zero in the Midwest with possible freezing temperatures as far south as Atlanta later this week, forecasters said. Photograph: Jim Young/Reuters
Image: Icicles are seen near a beach on Lake Michigan in Chicago, Illinois. Photograph: Jim Young/Reuters
Image: A pedestrian holding an umbrella passes by cars and a bus stopped after police closed off a stretch of Wilson Boulevard due to icy conditions in Arlington, Virginia. Snow and ice caught school districts and commuters off guard causing treacherous roads around the Washington DC area. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
Image: Sixteen-month-old Giant panda cub Bao Bao plays in the snow with her mother Mei Xiang at the Smithsonian's National Zoo as a winter storm hits Washington. Photograph: Reuters
Image: Commuters try to stay warm as they wait for a train during the early morning rush in Chicago. Photograph: Scott Olson/Getty Images
Image: Ice builds up along North Avenue Pier while temperatures hovered around zero degrees in Chicago. Most of the city's schools were cancelled today as wind chill temperatures were expected to exceed -30. Photograph: Scott Olson/Getty Images
